Adele Speaks Out About The Pressure To Breast-Feed

Adele shared her views on breast-feeding with a crowd of concert-goers this month — and gave voice to a struggle many mothers face.

"Breast-feeding mommies? You know what, it’s fucking ridiculous," she said. "All those people who put pressure on us, you can go fuck yourselves, all right?" Her comments come after Jamie Oliver heartily endorsed breast-feeding this month, calling it not just "better," but "easy" and "more convenient," as well. But unfortunately, that's not always the case.

"It’s hard," said Adele, who gave birth to her son Angelo in 2012. "Some of us can’t do it. I managed about nine weeks with my boobs."

The singeralso spoke about her appreciation of formula, explaining how lucky she was to have it available to her: "I mean, I loved [using formula]. All I wanted to do was breast-feed, and then I couldn’t. And then I felt like, If I was in the jungle now, back in the day, my kid would be dead because my milk’s gone."

Breast-feeding has become a charged topic lately, and Adele's comments shed light on the stress and judgment women feel when they either aren't able to breast-feed or choose not to. Enough women recognize this social pressure that it's even been given a specific term: "bressure." It's true that breast-feeding offers a slew of health benefits to mothers and infants alike, but for many women, it simply isn't an option — for either health or lifestyle reasons.

When breast-feeding is upheld as such an important part of motherhood, women who don't take to it naturally can easily feel isolated — or like they're doing something wrong. The CDC encourages women with certain diseases and conditions not to breast-feed, while other women run into issues such as low milk production, pain, or difficulty with latching. In fact, a 2008 study found that 50% of women surveyed had to stop breast-feeding early due to a low supply of milk.

Just like any other part of motherhood, breast-feeding is a choice that each woman must make for herself. We love it when a woman feels comfortable nursing her child, but it's just as empowering for a woman to make the decision not to, if that's what's best for her.